Hopple.



N. MORGAN.

HOPPLE. APPLIOA'I'IOF rum: JUL! 18, 1910.

992,026 Patented May 9, 1911.

mmzvroze Ailor nqy NELSON MORGAN, OF FUNK, NEBRASKA.

HOPPLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Application filed July 18, 1910. Serial No. 572,546.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it: known that I, NELSON MORGAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Funk, in the county of Phelps and State ofNebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inI-Iopples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the care of live stock and particularly to adevice designed for use as a hopple wherein the workman is assisted insupporting the weight of the horses hoof while operating on it.

An object of this invention is to produce novel means for connecting thehopple to the body of the animal for the purpose of effecting the resultjust stated and furthermore, to produce an adjusting device inconnect-ion with the supporting member whereby the said supportingmember is held at different positions of adjustment.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a device in whichthe operator may elevate or lower a foot or release the supportingdevice in the event of the animal losing its equilibrium or when theoperator has finished his work.

A still further object of this invention is to produce novel means forconnecting the foot and leg engaging member with the sup porting devicewhereby the supporting device may be moved with relation to the engagingmember without undue friction and without lateral pull on the saidconnecting member.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in which-Figure 1 illustrates a view in elevation showing the hopple applied to ahorse; Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective View of the hopple; Fig. 3illustrates a detail view of the connection between the hoof engagingdevice and the supporting device; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.

In carrying out my invention I employ a buckle-like frame 6 having arigid bar 7 and a bar 8 intersecting the member 7. The bar 8 is designedto engage the rope 9 which is in engagement with the sides of the frame,thereby holding the rope in an abruptly curved position in order thatmovement of the rope with regard to the frame will be prevented byreason of the frictional engagement of the rope with the sides of theframe and with the bar 8. In addition to the rope 9, I employ a hoofengaging member 10 which may be in the nature of a strap or otherflexible device having on its ends, the connections 11, which areapproximately rectangular in shape. Each connection has a bar or end 12which has an end of the engaging member 10 connected to it and ananti-friction roller 13 mounted on a bar 14, the said anti-frictionroller 13 being designed to permit the rope 9 to travel through theconnecting member under the manipulation of the operator.

In arranging the hopple for use, it is preferable to attach one end ofthe rope to the frame (3 as shown at 15 and then to thread the said ropethrough the frame between the side bars and the intermediate bar 8thereby, as stated, causing the frictional engagement of the said ropein different positions of adjustment according to the size of the animalto which it is applied. The rope is then inserted in the connections 11as shown in Fig. 2 and the end of the rope is extended through the frame(3 in order that the said rope may be caused to travel in the said frameby a pull on the end of the rope or in the opposite direction by theaction of the animal to which the hopple is applied. An operator may, onapplying the hopple to the horse or other animal in the manner stated,cause the said animal to support the weight of his hoof though if thesaid animal loses his equilibrium, the operator may readily release thesaid hoof so that the animal may be prevented from falling.

As shown in the drawing, the looped portion of the rope remote from thehoof engaging member is looped around one of the animals front legs andthen attached to the divided section of the frame. The rope is thenpassed over the animals back and the rope adjusted in the frame toefleet the frictional engagement of the rope with the frame to whichreference has been made. The hoof engaging member is then applied to thehoof of the animal either at the front or rear as occasion may requireand the free end of the rope is then passed through the connections 11and through the frame 6 when the apparatus is ready for operation. Whilein operation, the workman holds the free end of the rope; theintermediate portion of the rope hangs over and rests on the animalsback, thereby the animal is compelled to partially support his own footand the operator may work with less difiiculty.

I claim In a hopple, the combination of a flexible member and a hoofsupporting member carried thereby, of a frictional adjusting devicesecured to one extremity of said flexible member, said frictionaladjusting device comprising an elongated frame having a longitudinal barconnecting the ends of the the point where the frictional adjustingdevice is secured to the flexible member.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

NELSON MORGAN.

l/Vitnesses:

P. G. FUNK, M. E. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

